House of Peoples to adopt decisions crucial for BiH's European path today

The House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected to make decisions today on three draft laws crucial for BiH's European path - on freedom of access to information at the BiH institutions level, the Ombudsman for Human Rights, and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC).

All three draft laws were determined and submitted to the parliamentary procedure by the Council of Ministers of BiH, and were adopted by the House of Representatives last week.

The principles of the Draft Law on Freedom of Access to Information, marked with EI, as confirmation of compliance with EU regulations in this area, are aimed at strengthening the transparency and openness of public authorities, free and unimpeded access to information, with timeliness and accuracy in their publication, and strengthening the accountability of BiH institutions in this process.

A novelty in the proposed law, compared to the current one, is the electronic submission of requests and the introduction of a completely new model for proactive disclosure of certain information important for the work, organization, decision-making, and financing of BiH institutions.

The Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the Ombudsman for Human Rights of BiH, as stated in the explanation, strengthens the capacities of this institution, and in addition to protecting human rights, enables ombudsmen to act more strongly in their promotion in accordance with the Paris Principles.

Amendments to this law strengthen the financial independence of the Ombudsman Institution and emphasize its role in enhancing cooperation and dialogue with the non-governmental sector and the academic community in BiH.

The Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the HJPC of BiH emphasizes the principles of integrity of judicial office holders, transparency of work, two-instance decision-making, and accountability of judicial office holders, including judges, prosecutors, and HJPC members equally.

Amendments to the Law, among other things, regulate issues related to conflicts of interest of HJPC members and introduce an obligation for judges and prosecutors to report assets and interests, as one of the measures in the fight against corruption in the judiciary.

The provisions of this law, at the same time, strengthen the disciplinary responsibility of judges, prosecutors, as well as HJPC members for committed disciplinary offenses.

The Draft Law on Freedom of Access to Information and the Ombudsman of BiH are in the second reading in the House of Peoples, while the House of Representatives recommended that the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the HJPC be considered under an urgent procedure, as it will be considered for the first time in this house, to enable the adoption of all three laws at the same session.

On the agenda of the session, in the first reading, is the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the Basics of Road Traffic Safety in BiH, which stipulates that persons with disabilities greater than 80 percent have the right to an accessibility sign and can park in designated parking spaces.

The previous solution only allowed this right to persons with 100 percent disability.

The Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Labor in BiH Institutions will also be considered in the first reading by the delegates, which guarantees mothers employed in BiH institutions the right to work half-time until the child reaches one year of age, after maternity leave, and for twins, triplets, and every subsequent child, half of full-time until they reach two years of age.

This right also belongs to the father if the mother is working during that time, or to the person caring for the child if the parents are deceased, have abandoned the child, or are unable to care for them.

Also on the agenda are several reports, as well as proposals for granting consent for the ratification of international agreements.

The session, which is reserved for delegates' questions in oral form, is scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM, with a live broadcast on BHT1.